Seahawks turn back feisty Rams on game-ending goal-line stand

ST. LOUIS -- The Seattle Seahawks struggled on offense against the scrappy St. Louis Rams, so they had to leave Monday night's game in the hands of one of the NFL's stingiest defenses.

With its back on the goal line, the defense answered the challenge.

The Seahawks stuffed Daryl Richardson on third-and-goal and then caused Kellen Clemens to overthrow his intended target in the corner of the end zone on the final play of a nerve-wracking 14-9 victory.

More Seahawks-Rams Coverage

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Seattle (7-1) extended the best start in franchise history despite gaining just 135 yards, with 80 coming on Wilson's second TD pass to Golden Tate. It was the third-fewest yards in a victory for the Seahawks, and their seven first downs were the fewest in a win in franchise history.

"We were very fortunate," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "Under the circumstances with a new quarterback, they did a great job. We just couldn't get going on offense. Fortunately, the defense hung together and gave us a chance to win the game."

Clemens finished with 158 yards passing in place of the injured Sam Bradford, but he also threw two interceptions. Zac Stacy ran for a career-high 134 yards for the Rams (3-5).

"It's not always going to be pretty," said Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, who made his fourth interception of the season. "You have to be able to win ugly."

The World Series no doubt contributed to the stale atmosphere inside the Edward Jones Dome, where the announced crowd of 55,966 was in reality much smaller. Many of the fans who did show up wore Cardinals gear, and Red Sox-Cardinals highlights were shown on the big screen.

Winning Ugly

Russell Wilson was sacked seven times, Seattle was out of sync offensively and yet, despite a terrible game statistically, it left St. Louis with a win.

Seahawks

Rams

Plays

40

71

First downs

7

23

Yards

135

339

TOP

21:51

38:09

-- ESPN Stats & Information

Greg Zuerlein staked St. Louis to an early lead with the first of his three field goals, but Sherman's pick put the Seahawks in business. Seattle scored six plays later, when Wilson hit Tate from the 2-yard line.

Zuerlein got the Rams within 7-6 late in the third quarter, but the Seahawks answered again.

Wilson went deep down the sideline to Tate, who made an acrobatic leaping catch over Janoris Jenkins. Tate regained his balance and then mockingly waved at safety Rodney McLeod as he ran to the end zone, earning an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

"He just was so in the moment and just made an unbelievable catch," Wilson said. "You've got to give him credit for just attacking the football right there."

Tate apologized after the game, NFL.com reported.

"That was immature of me. Hurt my team. I've gotta stay composed. ... Act like I've been there before," Tate said, according to the website. "I gotta apologize to our special teams. I put them in an awkward situation, but more happy to get up and learn from it and move forward."

Zuerlein connected again to get St. Louis to 14-9, but he missed a 50-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. That proved to be critical because the Rams would have needed just another field goal from him on their final drive, rather than a touchdown, to steal the win.

They still had a chance after they took over at their 3-yard line with just more than five minutes left and methodically marched down field. They had first-and-goal at the Seattle 6 with about a minute left, and Richardson carried the ball to the 2.

An encroachment call on Seattle put the ball at the 1, but Richardson was stuffed on third down and Clemens misfired on fourth down as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

"We needed 97 yards; we got 96," Clemens said. "There was such a great sense of resolve in the huddle as soon as I walked in the huddle. Everybody knew. Nobody really had to say anything. We gave ourselves a [chance to] win at the end, but unfortunately we didn't make the play."

Game notes

Rams DE Robert Quinn had three sacks, all in the first half. ... Seattle had minus-1 yard of offense in the first quarter and 38 yards at the half, its fewest since gaining 37 in the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1998, according to STATS LLC. ... Seahawks WR Sidney Rice left late in the first half with a knee injury and did not return.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

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ST. LOUIS, MO - OCTOBER 28: Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks passes in the second quarter against the St....

Research Notes

¿ The last team to win a game with 135 or fewer total yards was the Dolphins against the Jets in Week 14 of 2010.
¿ The Dolphins were also the last team to win a game with seven or fewer first downs (also Week 14 of 2010 against the Jets).
¿ Marshawn Lynch had 23 rushing yards, his fewest since Week 2 of 2011 against the Steelers (11). His eight rushes were his fewest since Week 4 of 2011 against the Falcons.

The Rams were forced to settle for a field goal on their first three trips to the red zone Monday and were denied the go-ahead touchdown on the final drive of the game. Kellen Clemens completed 3-of-8 passes (38%) for 11 yards in the red zone. The Seahawks have allowed the lowest completion percentage (31.6%) and Total QBR (1.7) in the NFL on plays in the red zone this season.

Russell Wilson won on Monday despite a 20.5 Total QBR. Since 2006, starting QBs with a Total QBR under 21 have a .134 win percentage (98-634-1).
Only 4 times this season has a starting QB won despite a Total QBR under 21, and 2 of those wins are by Russell Wilson (defeated Texans in Week 4 with 20.6 Total QBR).

The Seahawks are 12-1 in their last 13 regular-season games with Russell Wilson, dating back to Week 13 last season. Wilson has 18 wins since he was drafted, tied for the 2nd-most wins by an NFL quarterback in the last 2 seasons.

Most Wins by QB Last 2 Seasons

Russell Wilson was under pressure on 12 of 25 dropbacks Monday, and has been under pressure on 38.5% of dropbacks this season, the highest rate in NFL. Included in that, he was sacked a career-high 7 times.

The Seahawks had 2 takeaways Monday, and they've had multiple takeaways in each game this season (first time with multiple takeaways in first 8 games since 1984). They lead the NFL with 21 takeaways this season.